Hello to fall, farewell to Canada’s summer sports stars

Fall is here, which sadly means summer is gone.

But it’s not all bad as the turn of the seasons means the focus now shifts to Canadian athletes who compete on ice and snow. But before we do, let’s take a look back at some of the spectacular exploits from those who competed when the weather was warm.

Rio 2016

Canada’s Penny Oleksiak poses with her medals on the flag at the Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday August 21, 2016. COC Photo/Mark Blinch

One of the revelations of the Rio Trials, 15-year-old Penny Oleksiak after being named to her first Olympic Team on April 10, 2016.

Before she became a quadruple Olympic medallist and the most famous high school student in Canada, Penny Oleksiak tore up the pool at the Canadian trials in early April. The then-unknown 15-year-old set the junior world and Canadian records in the 100m freestyle and the Canadian record in the 100m butterfly, both events in which she would stand on the Olympic podium, lowering her record marks in the process.

The 6-Metre Club

World champion pole vaulter Shawn Barber cemented his spot amongst the world’s elite with his indoor clearance of six metres in January, something only eight men had done before him, as he smashed his own national record.

Catharine the Great

Olympic bronze wasn’t the only major prize captured by Catharine Pendrel this summer, who returned to the World Cup mountain bike circuit after Rio to lock up her third career overall title in September on the strength of four podium finishes in six races over the course of the season.

Brooke’s Breakthrough

Before she competed in the first Olympic golf tournament in 112 years, Brooke Henderson won the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in a sudden-death playoff in June. She was the first Canadian woman to win a golf major since 1968 and at just 18 years and 10 months old was the second youngest winner of that tournament since it began in 1955, moving her up to second place in the World Golf Rankings, the highest ever achieved by a Canadian, male or female.

Combined Event Superstars

Damian Warner (left) in the decathlon and Brianne Theisen-Eaton in the heptathlon are the winners of the Hypo-Meeting in Gotzis, Austria on May 29, 2016 (Photo: Hypomeeting Götzis – meeting-goetzis.at)

Rugby Royalty

Ahead of their bronze medal in the inaugural Olympic rugby sevens tournament, the Canadian women won the World Series event in France to finish the season ranked third overall in the standings, making it clear they would be a force to be reckoned with in Rio. Just a few weeks later, they got to mingle with actual royalty.